MK Dov Khenin (Hadash) submitted 500 bills during the first week of the 19th Knesset, with most of them being bills that failed to make it to a second reading in the last Knesset. Among them: a bill made by MK Khenin and well-know social-justice activist Alon-Lee Green, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, that would enable the workers of failing companies to take over the businesses with the help of a public fund. According to the proposed bill, employees of failed companies should not have to pay the price of management’s mistakes and should be able to seek help from a public fund for distressed companies. The fund would provide financial support to let the workers take over the company.
MK Khenin during the last elections (Photo: Hadash)
MK Khenin, born 1958, is a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party, an activist for socio-economic equality and an environmentalist. During his studies at the Hebrew University, Khenin headed the left-wing Jewish–Arab movement on campus. He was also active in the peace movement, pushing for a shared Jewish-Arab political partnership. Additionally, Khenin was heavily involved in the struggles for human rights and workers’ rights. For years, Khenin has been active in numerous environmental organizations. He also coordinated the Israeli research team that worked in cooperation with the Global WorldWatch. In 2002, he was chosen to be Chairperson of the umbrella environmental organization, Life and Environment, an activity center for more than 100 environmental organizations. Khenin resigned from his position as chairman when he presented his candidacy for the Knesset, running on the Hadash list.
Khenin has published numerous articles on the subject of environment and society. He also edited the book series, “Signs of Life” which deals with these same issues. At the end of 2005, he delivered a series of lectures on the topic of “The Globalization Crisis”. From the years 2004 to 2006, he served as the Academic Director of the Environmental Justice Clinic at Tel Aviv University.
Since 1990, Khenin has been a leading member of the Israeli Communist Party. During the elections for the 16th Knesset, he held the number four spot on the Hadash list. At the time, the party was only about 500 votes short in order for Khenin to be able to enter the Knesset. On January 14, 2006, Khenin was elected third on the Hadash list, and was subsequently elected to the 17th Knesset. Khenin was a member of the Internal Affairs and Environment Committee, and he also heads the Knesset’s joint committee on Environment and Health. Additionally, he served as chairman, of the social-environmental lobby, the largest lobby in the 17th Knesset and the 18th Knesset.
Khenin was the mayoral candidate for the Ir Lekhulanu (“City for All”) movement which was supported by the Jaffa Arab list “Yaffa” in Tel Aviv’s 2008 municipal election, but lost to the incumbent mayor Ron Huldai with 34.3% of the vote, compared to Huldai’s 50.6%.
